Conventionally, it has been impossible to observe time-varying electric field waveforms of electromagnetic waves in a light region having wavelengths smaller than those of electromagnetic waves in a near-infrared region, and it has been possible to measure only the intensities thereof. Further, measurements of a refractive index and an absorption coefficient of a material with respect to light have been conducted using ellipsometry.
As previously described, in the light regions having wavelengths smaller than those of electromagnetic waves in the near-infrared region, only the time-varying intensities have been measured. However, it has been impossible to observe the waveforms indicating the time-varying electric fields.
Further, conventional measurements for the refractive indexes and the absorption coefficients of materials utilizing ellipsometry have involve sweeping of the wavelength and rotating of a polarizer, thereby requiring a long time for measurements and complex operations.